Brick Air Force veteran helping fellow vets get back on their feet financially

A U.S. Air Force Veteran, thankful for all the services he's received since coming home, is giving back by holding the second annual 'Soldiers Not Forgotten' fundraising event to help fellow vets in need.

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Neil Zirin of Brick Township served in the U.S. Air Force during Operation Desert Storm and now the CEO of Soldiers Not Forgotten and owner of Anytime Fitness in Brick, is now giving his heart and strength to fellow veterans.

On July 23 they'll be holding their second annual Soldiers Not Forgottenfundraising event where they hope to make a difference in at least one veteran and their families life.

"A lot of veterans have lost their jobs, don't have a great paying job or whatever the case may be," said Zirin. "I'm trying to give them as much money as I can every year to help them do whatever they need to do in their life."

He says they hope to one day expand the organizations outreach and even join alongside another non-profit to help more veterans, but for now, helping even just one veteran can make all the difference in the world to him.

They're hoping to raise about $7,000.00 to give a veteran at this years event and is seeking donations from the public to help them reach that goal.

Last year's donation went to a service woman struggling to make ends meet following a tour in Iraq.

"She just had a baby, her husband had just lost his job and so they had no money to afford things like diapers and formula," said Zirin. "We gave her a decent amount of money and hopefully every penny helped her."

While he is always looking to help more veterans get back on their feet or direct them to places where they can receive those services, he's always looking for recommendations from the community on what local service men and women needs help.

"I want to help everybody I can," said Zirin. "It's hard for me to reach out to every veteran because I only know so many, so if somebody out there does know a vet that needs help please contact me and I would love to help them."

He says any member of the community looking to assist a veteran or any veteran in need of some help themselves, to call him at 732-202-7702 or nzirin@comcast.net.

The event will be held on July 23 outside of Anytime Fitness on Lanes Mill Road in Brick Township with live bands, refreshments, giveaways and even haircuts.

"We have three local bands from Ocean and Monmouth Counties," said Zirin. "I have food and refreshment vendors from Ocean and Monmouth Counties as well. I try and keep everything local."